To Fly
by Keshi-sama
Summary: Osaka always wandered what flying felt like. This had to be it. Rated M for safety.


_Disclaimer: I don't own Azumanga Daioh or any characters of the said show, so please don't sue me._

_Keshi-sama: This popped into my head a while ago. I wanted to write it down quick so I wouldn't forget. Here it is. My first attempt at a sad kind of story._

...

To Fly

...

Osaka looked down at the city below her. _'This is all it'll take,' _she thought, closing her eyes. Her life leading up to this point flashed before her eyes.

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It was a year after graduation. All of her friends had gone their separate ways, going to the colleges they wanted to. All except one. Osaka had applied for every college she could find, but every one turned her away.

She now sat on a bench in a park in Tokyo with her head hanging over the back. Her last application to a local college hadn't turned out as planned, so she was still out of luck. A week ago, her parents had thrown her out of their house, telling her to find a job for herself.

Since then, she had been drifting from motel to motel every night. The last one Osaka had stayed at was horrible. She made a note to herself never to go there again. Sighing, she swung her head back. Things just weren't going her way.

_'Well, won't let a little thing like this get me down!'_ she thought confidently, raising her head. _'I'll just try again! And if that doesn't work, I'll find another way!'_

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Two months later. Osaka wandered in the dim lights of her current residence's street. She still had yet to get into any college, but she had found an apartment she could afford. A minute later, she was walking up the stairs in the gloomy building that she had a room rented in.

Flipping the light on, she looked around at her apartment. Rejected applications lay scattered over the small coffee table in the middle of the room. The couch had rips and tears, along with stains she didn't want to put a name to. The paint on the walls was peeling, and the TV in the corner of the room was in disrepair.

It was horrible, but it was all she could afford with her job at a little run down bookstore in an uncommonly visited area, and somewhere to stay.

Osaka walked into the little kitchen area and pulled two pieces of bread out of the cabinet and some meat out of the fridge. She ate her supper in silence in her little apartment.

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One month later at the bookstore Osaka worked at. She was in one of the aisles, sorting books when she heard the door open. The girl turned and smiled to the new arrivals. "Hello. Is there anything I can help you with?"

One of the three men who had come in pulled a silver Stoeger Cougar with the word _'Penalty'_ engraved into the side out and aimed it at her. "You. Open the register. Now."

Osaka froze when the gun was pulled on her. When the man finished talking, she was behind the counter, unlocking the register. The man held out a bag. "Put it in here," he said, meaning all the money. She did.

It was then that her boss, Iwazaki Hanako, came in through the back door. She saw the three men and stopped moving. The one who had spoke, who Osaka took to be the leader, turned to her and aimed his Cougar at her.

The gun barked and Hanako fell dead on the floor. Osaka screamed and hid behind the counter as the three men hurriedly left the building. She pressed the red button on the bottom of the counter franticly, hoping for response.

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The next day. Hanako's body had been taken to determine who had killed her. Osaka herself had been being asked questions by detectives since they had arrived at the scene, but they had let her go home now.

She stumbled up the stairs to her apartment. Once she was inside, she immediately made for the bathroom to wash her face in the sink. A few minutes later, she heard a knock at her door. "Coming!" She yelled out, heading for the door.

She opened it, and instantly regretted it. A man that stood about six feet, had short dark brown hair that faded into light brown at the tips, brown eyes, and wore a flame colored jacket that said 'Blazing Glory' on the back stood before her. The leader of the men from yesterday. "Kasuga Ayumu?" he asked, obviously not a big talker. Osaka gulped. "Yeah?" she said shakily.

The man pushed inside the apartment and pressed her wrists against the wall. Osaka could feel his breath against her neck. "You don't remember me. Do you understand?"

Osaka nodded, slowly at first, but picking up the pace. The man released her and turned to leave. He stopped by the door. "We'll be watching you, Kasuga." And with that he was gone.

The girl slid to her knees. This was becoming too much to handle.

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Four months later. Osaka was sitting on her couch, watching a show on the fuzzy screen of her television. She had gotten a job as a greeter and cashier at a local grocery store, so she could still pay for her apartment.

The police were at a loss in finding the three men responsible for Iwazaki Hanako's death, and she could do nothing to help them.

The show she was watching was finishing up when her phone rang. "Who would call _me_?" she said aloud to herself. She stood and walked over to answer it, but a beep was heard before she could reach it.

Sighing, she picked up the phone and listened to_ "You have one message"_ from the recording machine. Osaka pressed a switch on the phone and listened as it summoned the message from its memory.

_"Osaka-san? It's me, Chiyo. I was wondering how you've been lately. We're all worried about you, since you haven't been keeping in contact with _any_ of us. Well, please call me back if you get this. It would be nice to talk to you again."_

_"Message ended,"_ said the voice on the machine and Osaka set it down. How did Chiyo get her number? _'She's a little genius,'_ she told herself. She decided against calling Chiyo tonight. It was late and she was getting tired.

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One and a half months later. Osaka still hadn't called Chiyo back. Her job at the grocery store had failed due to it being shut down because of a disease that people had been getting from the products sold there.

Osaka had herself looked over, and she was glad when they told her she was not infected. So now she sat, looking over one of the several applications sitting on her coffee table, this one for a new job.

She hadn't seen the man since that night when he told her to forget that he existed. Osaka threw her head back and yawned.

She stood and grabbed her jacket from its place on a rack by the door. Making sure to turn off all the lights and locking the door, she left the apartment, telling the man who sat behind the desk in the tiny lobby, Sanada Noburu, that she was going for a walk. Noburu had black hair that was short in the front, but came down to the middle of the back of his neck and gray eyes.

Osaka liked Noburu. He was one of the few people she could trust to help and support her now. "Alright. See ya when ya get back, Kasuga-san," he said.

She turned right when she exited the door and began to walk. Just walk, like she did once every week. It was a time she could think. She walked her memorized path, absorbed in her own little world for the time being.

Suddenly, two hands grabbed her arms from behind and pressed them together. A masculine voice near her ear said, "Well, what's a pretty girl like you doing out here alone on a night like this?" Osaka swallowed the lump forming in her throat, but didn't respond.

The voice continued. "You know, you could be hurt out here. You never know what kinds of freaks could be wandering around looking for just this kind of opportunity." The smell of liquor wafted in front of Osaka's nose.

She tried to turn her head to see the man who held her, but he pushed her head back forward with one hand, still holding her with the other. He laughed. "Here. Let me show you just _what_ can happen out here."

He pulled her into a nearby dark alley, a silent scream on her face.

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Two weeks later. Osaka was still trying to recover from that incident. Noburu was trying his best to help her through it, but his efforts weren't helping much.

She sat at her apartment quietly, just listening to the seconds passing by. Noburu had tried to find the culprit for the first week after it had happened, but it had proved to be useless.

A knock at her door roused Osaka from her trance, and she went to answer it. Opening it, she saw the land lady who visited once every month to collect her rent. She held out her hand. "Pay up," she said rudely.

Osaka rummaged through her pockets, just managing to get the sufficient payment for her. The land lady left. To her, as long as she got her pay, she didn't care what happened to the residents of the apartment complex.

The Osakan girl sighed. She had just _barely_ managed to pay this time. Since she had no job either, what would happen next month, when she came to collect her pay again? Osaka shivered at the thought.

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Three weeks later. Osaka was still having trouble finding a job to pay this month's rent. Noburu had offered to help her pay it off, and Osaka had accepted, but it didn't feel right. Noburu was being a bit too nice to her.

She walked sluggishly down the stairs, past a door with content laughter and noises of merry-making coming from behind it. She sighed. _'Wish I had someone to laugh with,'_ she thought.

Then she remembered Chiyo's call, and Osaka immediately turned back up the stairs and nearly sprinted. Maybe, if she could get back with her high school friends, everything would be okay. Closing the door to her apartment again, she headed strait to the phone.

Calling the message again, she saw the number Chiyo had called from. She dialed the number and waited as it rang. Osaka almost laughed when she heard a ring-back tone. _"Tsukurimashou, tsukurimashou, sate sate nani ga dekiru kana,"_ repeated over and over again._  
_

Finally, she heard someone on the other side of the phone pick up. _"Hello?"_

Osaka's face lit up at hearing a familiar voice. "Chiyo-chan! Hello!" she called back over the phone.

_"Osaka-san?"_ Chiyo said, recognition blooming in her voice.

"Yep! It's me. So, how ya been doin'?" she asked her friend.

_"I've been good over here. How about you, Osaka-san?"_

Osaka paused. Her life had been terrible since she had last seen her friends. "I'm been... alright, I guess," she said.

_"That's good to hear. So, why did you call?"_ Chiyo asked her.

"I wanted to know if we, that is, you, me, and the rest of our friends, could get back together and see each other."

_"I would love to! I'll call everybody and ask them. I'll tell you soon! 'Bye!"_

" 'Bye," Osaka copied. With that, the conversation ended. She sat the phone down on the receiver and waited. It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

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The next day. Osaka sat in her living room, munching on some chips. She had only left the apartment to turn in her application for her latest job tryout.

Suddenly, the phone rang, and she practically leaped off the couch to answer it. "Hello?" she asked.

"_Osaka-san! Everyone said yes. They all would like a get-together to see each other again."_

Osaka's heart nearly burst through her chest in excitement. "Okay! So when is the party?" she asked.

_"In a couple weeks, when we all have a clear schedule. June 5__th__, right?"_ Chiyo asked.

Osaka looked at the calendar. June 5th wasn't to far away. She could last until then. "Alright, Chiyo-chan. I'll see you then, right?"

_"Yep! We'll all get to see each other again!"_

Osaka nodded in contentment. "Well, 'bye, then," she finished.

_" 'Bye, Osaka-san!"_

Osaka hung the phone up and barely managed to stifle a laugh of happiness. She would finally get a break from everything soon.

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The next day. Osaka was checking in for her new job at an odds and ends store. Everything was fine there, but most of the other employees kept their distance, even though only six people worked there. It seemed she had gotten a reputation as a bad luck charm, as her two previous jobs had both been crushed, one where her boss had been murdered, and the other where the store had been closed down for giving a disease to people who bought products from there.

She was taking the store's stock levels when one of the other employees walked up to her. "Osaka-san?" the girl said uncertainly.

Osaka turned at the sound of her nickname. "Yes?" she responded with a smile.

The girl took a step closer. "Do you remember me?" she asked.

Osaka took a moment to look her over before realization hit her. "Ah! You're Rachel!" she said in excitement.

Rachel nodded happily and said, "Correct!" She waited a while before asking, "So, how have you been since graduation?"

Osaka paused again. "Fine. Just fine. Why?"

Rachel shrugged. "Just asking. Well, see you around."

Osaka gave a halfhearted wave after her. Seems she had one of her friends, however unfamiliar, to talk to until the reunion.

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Two days later. Osaka and Rachel had been talking to each other at work the past two days, getting to know one another a little better. Osaka kept back the darker parts of her life since graduation, but she answered any other question from the other.

Osaka was standing behind the register, waiting for someone to make a purchase. Someone walked up and bought a pack of cards that were at the counter. She thought something about the man was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. As he sat the cards down, Osaka saw a piece of paper sitting on the top of them. He mouthed the word, 'Wait' as he fished out enough money for the cards.

A minute later, the man was walking out the door with his purchase.

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One hour later. It was the end of Osaka's shift, so she started to the break room with the piece of paper left behind by the man.

She closed the door behind her and unfolded the slip. It said, 'We may have something for you if you help us. Meet me by the dumpster behind your apartment building tonight at ten. Make sure no one else reads this. D'

Osaka stared at the paper a while before ripping it up and throwing it in an ashtray. We. Could it be those three? Well, there was only one way to find out.

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That night. Osaka told Noburu that she was going for a walk, and he insisted that he come with her. She told him that she would be fine, and would be right back.

Osaka actually did walk around until 9:45 before she went back to the apartment and stood by the dumpster.

As she approached, she heard a weight shift and saw a man come out from the shadows. Osaka immediately recognized him. "You..." she said.

The corner of the man's mouth twitched. "Seems you remember me," he replied.

"What do you want?" she asked, ready to reach for the knife Noburu had given her to protect herself from that incident ever happening again.

The man raised his hands to show that he bore no weapon. "I'm unarmed. What could I possibly do to you?" he asked, obviously knowing of her attempt to reach her knife. "As for your question, I have a proposition for you."

Osaka's hand moved away from the knife inside her jacket and asked, "What is it?"

"I need someone to be... taken care of."

Osaka gasped. "You want me... to murder someone?"

The man nodded. "Right." He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope "There's been someone causing trouble for my people. His name's not important. All you need to know is that he will be passing this alley in five minutes."

Osaka pushed the envelope away. "I'm not gonna kill someone for you," she said.

D's mouth twitched again. "You don't have any choice in the matter, Kasuga Ayumu."

Osaka froze. "What do you mean?"

He reached into his jacket and pulled out his Stoeger Cougar, the gun he had used to kill Hanako, silenced this time, and handed it to her. "You will use this to kill the man. And wear these," D said, pulling off his gloves.

He started to fade back into the shadows. "If you do not do this, we will find and kill every one of your friends and family, and anyone that knew them."

Osaka shivered. It was a no-win situation. On one hand, she kills this man and her loved ones go on living. On the other, she doesn't kill the man and they all die instead.

Either way, it was going to end in death. Deciding the route that would help more people, she crouched in the shadows of the alley, waiting for the man to pass.

Like he had said, the man passed not five minutes after D had disappeared. Osaka prepared to fire.

_Thump thump._ Osaka's heart had leaped up into her throat as she tightened her hold on the trigger.

_Thump thump._ She was thinking about how loud her heartbeat had become as her finger pressed down the trigger, letting the bullet fly loose.

_Thump thump._ She watched in horror as the bullet tore through the chest of the man who stepped into the streetlight.

_Thump thump._ Osaka dropped the gun and began to push herself up to run over to the fallen man.

_Thump thump._ The first steps felt like forever.

_Thump thump._ She arrived by the man's side and bent down to put a hand behind his head.

_Thump thump._ "Noburu!" She screamed.

_Thump thump._ "K... Kasuga...-san?" Noburu said, his eyes searching her face.

_Thump thump._ "Kasuga-san... it hurts..." were Noburu's last words before his eyes glazed over, his head dropping to the side.

_Thump thump._ Osaka stared disbelievingly at Noburu's face before she started to cry.

_Thump thump._ "I'm so sorry..." she whispered, burying her face into his chest, tears staining his shirt.

_Thump thump._

_Thump thump._

_Thump thump._

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The next day. Osaka lay on her couch, staring at the ceiling silently. The police had come around again and started asking her questions. She had told them everything that the note inside the envelope had told her to, so it wouldn't be traced back to her.

Rachel had called an hour ago, asking why she wasn't at work today. Osaka told her she was sick and couldn't go in today.

Suddenly, she heard a knock at her door and something being slid under it. She waited for a few minutes before getting up to go get it. It was another envelope.

She shook as she broke the seal and pulled out the contents. It was enough yen to pay for rent and food for the next three years, as well as another note. This one read, 'We've gotten word about your success. Your friends will not be harmed. Burn this note. D'

Osaka did just as the letter said, finding a match in the kitchen and burning the note before throwing it away. She made sure to put the money in a safe place.

Lying back down on the couch, she stared up at the ceiling for a while before she started to cry again.

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Three days later. Noburu's murder was all everyone in the apartment could talk about, so Osaka hurriedly left the lobby for the outside. She didn't want to hear all their theories over why someone would want to kill such a nice man.

The reunion with her friends was coming up soon, so she had started getting ready.

She turned and started walking down the sidewalk, heading for her work. An hour later, she was there, straightening items on a shelf.

Rachel walked up behind Osaka and said, "You okay?" Osaka nodded. Rachel put her hand on the Osakan girl's shoulder. "You know, if there's something you need to talk about, I'm always here, alright?"

Osaka paused in her work before replying with, "Thank you, Rachel-san."

"No, problem, Osaka." The other girl turned to return to the cash register and resumed her own work.

Osaka finished her work on the shelf and went to see if there was anything else she could help with.

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Two days later. Five days from Osaka's reunion with her friends. Osaka was sweeping her kitchen area when her phone rang.

Picking it up to answer, she said, "Kasuga residence."

_"Hey, Osaka! Guess who?"_

Osaka thought for a moment before answering, "Tomo-chan?"

_"You got it! You almost ready for our get together?"_

"I'm working on it."

_"Alright."_ Osaka heard another voice in the background, and the Tomo said, _"Wait a sec, Yomi wants to talk to ya. 'Bye!"_

" 'Kay," Osaka replied, even though she knew that no one would hear her. A few seconds later, she heard someone grab the phone.

_"Osaka? You still there?"_

"Yeah, I'm here."

_"Wow. You really did lose your accent."_

Osaka laughed a little. "It was pretty hard to do it, too."

_"I wouldn't doubt that. Hey listen, the party's going to be at Chiyo's house, alright? You remember where that is?"_

"Yeah, I remember."

_"Alright. Well, it was good to talk to you. See you later, Osaka."_

" 'Bye," Osaka finished before she hung the phone up on the receiver. She started up her sweeping again.

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The next day. Osaka was checking over a list of things she was going to take with her to Chiyo's house. The list wasn't that long.

She had gotten some new furnishings for her apartment with the money D had given her, but she could barely stand it, knowing what she had done to get the money.

Satisfied that she had everything, she sat down on the couch and sighed. She sat like that for a while before she heard another knock at her door.

Osaka walked over and answered, but when she opened the door, no one was standing outside. She stepped out to look in the hallway, but as soon as she poked her head out, she was smacked over the back of her head with something heavy.

Osaka instantly crumpled to the floor, vision blacked out.

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Some time later. Osaka's eyes eased open, flickering a few times to adjust to the light. It was brightly lit, wherever she was.

She sat up to look around. She was still in the apartment building, that was sure. The girl rubbed her head with an, "Ow..." and turned back to see her apartment.

Osaka gasped as she saw that everything that she had bought with the money D had given her gone, which was most of her furniture. She ran in and checked where she had hid the money, and found that it was gone too. Whoever it was, they had done a very thorough search of her home.

She almost ran to the phone to call the police, but stopped herself, thinking, _'What if they ask where I got the money from? It's not like someone living in a little place like this would usually have that much just laying around.'_

Osaka sat in the corner of her apartment, looking at how empty it was now.

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The next day. Osaka sat up with a groan and stretched her arms. She had to sleep on the floor, due to the fact that her couch was also a fold out bed, which was where she slept. Her alarm clock was gone, too, so she had to trust herself to wake up on time for work.

Yawning, she pushed herself up from the floor and looked at the clock. It seemed that luck was on her side, because it read 7:12, about an hour until she had to be at work. Osaka got herself ready in a half an hour, and spent another ten minutes eating breakfast.

She practically flew down the stairs and out of the building to walk to work in the next twenty minutes. As she thought she would, she arrived on just on time, but tired.

It was her turn on the register when Rachel walked up to her, carrying a bag full of junk. "Hey, Osaka-san, where do you think I should put this?" she asked.

Osaka looked around before pointing to an empty space in a corner. "How about there?"

Rachel turned her head and looked at where Osaka had pointed and said, "That's a good spot. Thank you." She turned fully and went to set the bag in the corner.

Rachel came back after setting the bag down and said, "There was a man in here looking for you about five minutes before you came in."

Osaka looked at her and asked, "Do you remember what he looked like?"

Rachel put her finger to her lip while humming. She was like that for a few seconds before she responded, "I think he was about this tall," she said, raising her hand to about six feet, "He had brown hair, and wore a jacket that said, 'Blazing Glory' on the back."

Osaka froze. If that wasn't D, it was his twin. And as far as she knew, he didn't have one. "What did he want?" she asked.

Rachel shrugged. "He said that he wanted to meet you in the old warehouse by the grocery store in two days at 10:00 pm. Also said that he had something very important to show you, and to come alone."

Osaka nodded, knowing that if D thought it was important, it couldn't be good for her. "Alright, then, Rachel-san. Thank you for telling me."

Rachel waved it off, "No problem. Well, back to work," she finished, heading off to take inventory.

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Two days later at 9:50. Osaka was entering the old warehouse that Rachel had told her D wanted to meet her at. It was dark, so she felt around on the wall for the light switch. "You're early," a voice said.

Osaka stopped looking for the light and answered, "What do you want, D?"

"You don't have to keep calling me D. Call me Daiki." he said.

"Just tell me what you want."

"Follow me," Daiki said, appearing out of nowhere and opening the door and leading her to a car.

Osaka rode with Daiki for a while before they finally stopped in front of a skyscraper. "Just in here," Daiki said, letting her out of the car leading her inside. He took her to the elevator and pressed the 'Roof' button.

"What's up there?" she asked.

She didn't get an answer, and instead got one arm grabbed, twisted behind her back, the other held in Daiki's hand. "W-What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.

Daiki lowered his face to her ear and whispered angrily, "They found me out, bitch. You were the only one who knew what I looked like, and what I did. Now you're gonna pay."

The elevator stopped on the roof, and Daiki kicked her out before exiting it himself.

"Osaka-san!" she heard. Osaka pushed herself up to see all of her friends being held by Daiki's followers.

Daiki walked to her side and kicked her back down. "This little whore is why I brought you all here! She ratted me out, and I'm going to show her what happens when you do that to Daiki!" He grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her up to her feet.

Osaka had little control as Daiki pushed her over near the edge of the roof. "You listen here, Kasuga Ayumu. Someone's going to die and it's your choice. It could be your friends, in which case I let you live and leave, or it could be you, and I let your friends leave this place alive."

He pushed her head down so she could see the city. "Make up your mind, Kasuga. You, or your friends."

"Osaka-san, don't do it!" she heard Chiyo yell.

Osaka stood silent, her mind on a rampage. Finally, she came to a decision, and said shakily, "My friends will live if I die?"

"Yes, they will," Daiki answered.

Osaka nodded slowly, "Then I'll do it."

She heard all of her friends behind her protest her decision loudly. Daiki stepped back and smiled. "Then you go off this edge."

Osaka looked down at the city below her. _'This is all it'll take,' _she thought, closing her eyes. _'All it'll take to save everyone I care about.'_

"Do it, Kasuga!" Daiki yelled.

"No, Osaka! Don't!" Tomo screamed to her.

Everyone else kept up trying to stop her, but it was obvious Osaka had already decided. She let her feet slide over the edge and started to fall.

"OSAKA!" she heard everyone yell at once as she went fully over the side.

_'Sorry, guys. It's better this way.'_ She felt the air rip past her face, her eyes still closed. _'Y'know... I've always wandered what flying felt like. I guess this is it."_

She held onto that thought until she suddenly collided with the earth.

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_Keshi-sama: So... how'd I do? Bet you all thought Osaka was just going to commit suicide at the end. Sorry if it was bad, but this is the hardest I've tried on anything I've written so far. Reviews are welcome!_


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